to ask if anyone else is half-arsing their job?

[Spacemannn]

I work full time with two pre-schoolers (due to my part-time working request being declined). I get paid well (although not mumsnet well) for a mid-senior job, with no line management, but the bulk of my salary goes on childcare.

Since having my second child, I just cba anymore. I used to be such a perfectionist and always go above and beyond, but I just don't care as much anymore. I work hybrid, and on my WFH days I'm trying to squeeze in as many chores/life admin as poss in between tasks.

Is anyone else like this? Does it matter? I switch between feeling guilty, and then feeling like as long as I'm getting the work done and doing an ok job, that's fine? I still get paid the same whether I put in 70% effort or 100% effort. There are no promotion opportunities on the horizon, and I don't think I'd want the extra responsibility at the moment anyway.

Any tips for working smarter not harder? I'm organised, responsive and quick, so I don't think it's a case of me not adding value to the company...

I think it's OK to coast in your job when your personal priorities have moved.
As long as you are doing what you're paid to do then it's OK not to be climbing up the promotion ladder or jumping at chances to do courses and what have you.

It's pretty intense raising a family while working full time. Out of your whole career the years you have young children amount to a small %.

Just watch out for the Motherhood penalty

Yep. Having worked for many years in high pressure long hours managerial roles, I made a decision after being made redundant for the second time to step back into a lower level position which is WFH 75% of the time.

I do a good job, I complete everything I am required to but I don’t put myself out to do anything more than I have to.

WFH has given us all more flexibility and as long as we get the job we’re paid to do done, what’s the problem?

Surely if you are getting the work done whats the problem? If they are happy with you ,I dont see the issue.I think people at work in their office often "pop on " SM or MN for a quick few mins .Like hanging around the Coffee machine "chatting" or suchlike .Most people can probably work best with short breaks .

The most sensible thing I have read on the Internet today

Totally get this, I feel exactly the same, feel so demotivated knowing all my money goes on bills. I just cba anymore.

Yes I work like this. I suppose it’s Quiet Quitting.

My boss thinks I am great, I achieve a lot more than contemporaries because I am experienced, efficient, and work quickly in short dynamic bursts. Why should I be more productive for no reward? I am not interested in promotion at all.

My work/life balance is superb.

I half arse it in the office too tbh. Out for lunch, go and get a coffee. Have a chat. But im also really good at my job so my half arsed still produces more than some peoples full throttled. I've never had a bad review.

I work for a company now that asseses on output rather than presenteeism. Flexibility is encouraged and i would think nothing of telling my boss i didn't anwser the phone because i was in waitrose.

Equally, i had docs that needed turning around quickly yesterday and i worked until 11pm to do it.

Literally doing fuck all and being unreliable in a fast route to the sack though. And its your own development you are messing with.

Similar here. I used to work long hours, always gave 110%. Second child is now two and I work very differently. I'm saying no or deprioritising anything that looks like busywork, and delegate where I can. I work fewer hours and do exercise or chores when I have a gap. Not sure I'm any less efficient to be honest - the important stuff gets done on time and well, but I'm not killing myself for no reason. I think my employer is still getting a very good deal, and I'm much happier and healthier.

I've been like this for the last 2-3 years (and I don't have young children as an excuse).

It bothers me that no one seems to have noticed. I'm working well inside my capacity and everyone still seems to think I'm great! Which makes me wonder just how little the others do 😆

Partly it's because I've been here a long time and have systems in place that mean much of what I manage manages itself and my experience and contacts mean I'm able to get things done quickly

Anyway, I have concluded it doesn't actually do me any good and leave in a few weeks for a new challenge.

No I'm not half arsed about my job. I give it 100% always. But I'm self employed.

The thing is that I've known quite a few people who tended to create a lot of completely unnecessary work for themselves and others, staying late every day, but actually doing not much more then people who were more efficient (and better at their jobs). A good manager should spot these people, as well as the notorious slackers, and encourage a happy medium. I have no issues with anyone in my team doing a few loads of laundry when things are slow, I know they'll step up and not burned out when I need them to.

Most people, at least some of the time, I would think, OP. We are only human.

You might just call it "Working smart". If you are really good you could write a self-help book about it. 😂

I'm not half-arsing my job, but I'm sick of how unresponsive all of my colleagues are. It takes days to get a response to an email, it's painful. So I've toned down my own approach to match them a bit and that means I'm being less productive than I might otherwise be.

I don't think what you're talking about is at all unusual, OP, but then look at all the threads where people are up in arms about being told they need to start going into the office more days per week and swear blind that they're more productive and do better work at home, and that 'management' are persecuting them by asking them to go in more. 🙄

It’s true though. I know that one of my peers gets paid 30% more than me. Same level but runs a different team. He joined when we were desperate and the market salary for that role had peaked. There is nothing I could do work wise to match his salary unless I left so, whilst I do my job and am good at it, there is no way I’m working loads of unpaid hours or going mental to impress.

In real terms I earn about 30% less than I did when I started work with my current employer. I've only ever had very good or excellent annual reviews and I have much greater knowledge and ability than I did when I started.

So if I'm 30% worse off in real terms after a decade or so, where's the motivation to keep pushing myself to the limit? The way I look at it is if I slacken off by 25% the company is still winning.

Partner wfh and is contracted to do 40hpw but does more like 50, at least. I work in the office 30hpw and could probably get all my work done in 20. Not that I'm half-arsed, I'm actually a bit of a perfectionist, it's just not that busy so I can get through the work quickly. I earn about 30pc more than him.

I relate to this so much. I work my arse off, many I wish with coast...I don't get paid any extra. Overall though I work much harder at home because there's less distraction, and I hate the idea of employers taking that away from me because others ruin it by being slack.

I totally agree with a poster upthread who said that companies will get away with paying you as little as they can. There's no reward these days for loyalty or investment, it's all about whether your face fits and also whether you are a good bet for them financially. You are just a hired mercenary, and you are easily replaced, no matter what level you're at. It's a mistake to invest too much of yourself, emotionally and time-wise into work. It really is. Do your job, take the money, go home - metaphorically that is, as you already work from home

Yeah that's me 40hrs a week at my desk

People pissing about at home just don’t have enough work to. They’d still not have enough if they were in the office.

It’s shit management that means people don’t have enough work to do. It’s nothing at all to do with the location of their workspace.

I'm not half-arsing my job, but I'm sick of how unresponsive all of my colleagues are. It takes days to get a response to an email, it's painful.

Yep. I work in a school, i'm part time but give it 100% on the days I work. All of our HR team, finance, business manager, data team and most of our admin staff are still working from home. Many of the external agencies who support our most vulnerable students are too, and staff from the Local Authority. It's a nightmare. They're so unresponsive, the communication between colleagues in the same team is shit, and it makes it harder for the rest of us to do our jobs as we are spending so much time chasing.

I have friends who WFH and talk very openly about how little work they do, how they're mostly decorating their houses, gardening, going to exercise classes or watching box sets but as long as they send the odd email and show up for scheduled zoom meetings it's fine. Then they're really upset when their employers wants them back in the office a couple of days a week!

I have friends who WFH and talk very openly about how little work they do, how they're mostly decorating their houses, gardening, going to exercise classes or watching box sets but as long as they send the odd email and show up for scheduled zoom meetings it's fine. Then they're really upset when their employers wants them back in the office a couple of days a week!

Bloody hell! Who are your friends?

I honestly don't know anybody who does this. Flexibility for sure, but working as hard as they should.
How old are you and your friends?

It’s not quiet quitting if you’re nailing the job! If you can do it in less time than your contracted hours, I don’t see how anyone could have issue with this.

Late 30's and early 40's, if that makes a difference. I think they're just honest. It's not that shocking, I've seen loads of threads on here where although the majority of posters have insisted they're super-productive at home (and I'm sure most of them are) a few have admitted that they take the piss.